American Friends

Pics are up from the American Friends picnic this past Sunday, taken by our very own April Sanders. Check them out but first check out the video below from the corn maze.

On My End

This past Sunday, Mickey Connolly taught on Philippians 3:7-8

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”

This scripture has everything to do with economics. Not the economics we learn in oversized, expensive college textbooks, but spiritual economics--the economy of our hearts. We each previously valued things that now seem worthless. Each one of us has experienced this change in our lives. What I find so exciting about this is that we didn't just get bored of what we used to find valuable. It wasn't that we grew up and found more sophisticated pleasures, instead we were each confronted by a greater pleasure; a greater gain.

Jesus Christ is the pearl of greatest price and from the moment our eyes were opened to see him our heart's economy has never been the same. Read and consider the following statements telling of how our community has clearly been affected by the gospel and God's surpassing worth. 

~Blog Crew (Shane Kohout)

“I used to count my intelligence as gain but now I count it as rubbish.”
~Jeremy Peggins 

 “I used to count others high view of me as gain, but not I’m learning how to count it as rubbish!”

~Aaron Spindler

Come with Me, to NYC (Part 2)

It was a full week before I could sleep through the night. I would lie in bed and scary movie after scary movie would come to mind. But I never had to leave the light on. I discovered the first night that it is never really dark in Manhattan. My bedroom stayed bright enough at night that I could have read without even turning on a light.

It’s also never quiet in the Big Apple. Creaking floors, neighbors slamming doors, sirens, and screeching tires were the soundtrack of my night. These noises went along with the Bachata and meringue music from the 24-hour Latin restaurants on my block. “The City that Never Sleep” is a very appropriate nickname for New York City.

During the day, the city throbs with energy. There is so much movement and life happening that it’s visually overwhelming. On my two-minute walk from my apartment door to the train station, I would pass 10 restaurants, a grocery store, two elderly Dominican men selling homemade breakfast treats, two people giving out newspapers, and at least one person collecting cans and bottles from the trashcans on the street.

On My End

This is the first installment from a new section we are calling "On My End." This is where will we include stories from people within LS and some from outside of LS telling us about how they are living for Christ in their personal lives. There will be Q/A's, stories, anecdotes, etc. sharing how they have been thinking about/applying the latest message from a LS meeting or a Sunday morning meeting. LS Blog Crew member Shane Kohout interviewed Huck Rodgers to get a teenager's perspective on this past Sunday's teaching on conversion.

1. Has this message led you to evaluate your relationship with Jesus Christ?

Definitely, I keep thinking to myself, “Do my actions say that I'm a Christian?” Sadly, I have come to the conclusion that they don't. This I know needs to be drastically changed and I need to take immediate action and have my focus on God.

2. Can you think of times when your relationship with Jesus Christ was based on seeking approval from your parents or friends?

Yes. When I was saved, most of my friends and people I knew were Christians, so I felt like I should consider accepting Jesus as my Savior so that I wouldn’t be the odd one out.

3. What areas of the Christian walk are difficult for you to walk out on a daily basis?

Devoting my time to reading the Bible or praying are both big ones. Also talking to my friends (even though they are in the church) about Christ and what is going on in their personal relationship with him.

4. How do you plan to surrender these areas to the Lord?

To pray, read the Bible, and to seek spiritual guidance. God has shown me the precious value of the Bible and I know that if I want to dive deeper in my relationship this is a vital area that I need to pursue.

5. How has God met you over the week in reflecting on the assurance of your relationship with him?

One way that God has assured me is the fact that the Holy Spirit told me through the message that I need to turn my life to focus on Jesus. Another way is that I know the changes throughout my life can only happen through the Holy Spirit that is implanted in me. Through my assurance I find joy that God will keep his promise and I will be spared from the consequences of my sins.


To hear Sunday's teaching, visit Solid Rock Church's sermon blog.

WorshipGod09 Q & A with Ben

Could you share a little about your WorshipGod09 experience?

I think anytime you can get about 1,500 believers in one who room who love to sing to the Savior always makes for some memorable times of worship. Personally, every worship session uniquely affected me by reminding me of different truths of God and how much I need Christ.

The Lord met me there in an extremely personal way particularly through the heavyweight teachings from John Piper, Thabiti Anyabwile, and Jeff Purswell. It was also a blast trying to get the seven dudes I was rooming with each their own shower time every morning!

Was there anything in particular that struck you from the teachings?

There was so much truth being taught at this conference. I’m still trying to soak it all in by going over my notes every day since the conference and just reflecting on certain questions I wrote down for myself.

First, was a point John Piper made about how the heart of a worshiper is not one trying to come before the Lord bringing something. If that person thinks they are, then they are missing the purpose of worship. Piper countered that by saying the heart of a worshiper is one that desperately comes to the Lord empty and crying out for the Lord to fill him. This was a refreshing reminder.

Second, and probably most vivid, were the few things said throughout the conference about the dangers of making worship about myself and not about the Lord and serving his people.

Jeff Purswell made two comments on different occasions which hit this point home for me personally, “A danger exists in corporate worship where we can enter into a form of idolatry where we are worshiping worship” and he also pointed out that, “When you begin to love being a worship leader more then a worshiper of the Lord; we’ve got a big problem”.

What was it like experiencing this conference with those who attended from SRC?

By far the highlight of the weekend was being able to not only spend every single session sitting together as the Lightswitch band but also hanging out together during meals and after the sessions. Probably some of the most exciting times of worship were the times when I was able to look to my left or my right and see all of us together worshiping or praying.

We had the unique opportunity to do “what we do together” in a new context and it just made the whole conference all the more fruitful. It was apparent that all who came were not just excited to get things out of the conference for themselves but were equally excited to hear about what everyone else was learning or had been affected by in each session. I’m convinced that it would not have been the same if we hadn’t been together.

To listen to any of the teachings from WG09 visit Sovereign Grace.

Anna Shares from WorshipGod09 Conference

WorshipGod09 began for us with eleven people caravanning in three cars up to Gaithersburg to spend four days listening to messages, worshiping, and being together. The Lord answered every hope and prayer that I had for those four days.

The thing that the Lord underscored for me throughout the week was his own holiness and glory, as revealed in the gospel. John Piper preached on “The God of Worship” and pointed to the fact that Christ’s first goal in dying was not to bring us to God; Christ's first goal in dying was to vindicate God’s righteousness. He demonstrated how God’s righteousness was under question because of God's mercy. Because God had passed over, and not poured out his wrath on the sins of his covenant people, his character had to be proved righteous. Piper showed how Romans 3:25 declares this when it says, “[Jesus’ propitiation] was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” It was because God proved himself righteous by Christ dying for sin that Christ was able to save us.

One of my favorite parts of the conference was worshiping alongside the other Lightswitch folks. Every person there has such a passion and desire for God’s glory, and that was so clearly expressed in the way they sang during our corporate worship time. Time and time again we were all filled with an awareness of the Lord’s presence, and it resulted in each person emphatically praising God. Personally, I was filled with so much joy and satisfaction in the Lord as I was made aware of the amazing fact that this God who is reigning over all came down and bore my sin. And now I can live in a manner that seeks to praise and honor him. It was wonderful to praise God together and to be aware of the unity bought with by gospel.

Not only did we enjoy sitting together during the meetings, but we also
enjoyed spending our free time together as well. Favorite episodes of the four days include naming the eight boys “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,” caring for Allison and Lauren who both were walking through some physical trials, spending time praying and fellowshipping, and going out to Chevy’s with Mr. and Mrs. Dickson. I came away from the conference so grateful to the Lord for this church--for how he works, for the unity he has knit, and for his love demonstrated through the local church, specifically ours.

To listen to any of the teachings from WG09, visit the following link:
http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/Events/WorshipConference.aspx.

Brianna Reflects on the Retreat

There was a lot of truth to process after the retreat, not only from Curt’s messages about heaven, but also resulting from the sheer length of time Lightswitch spent together. It’s always encouraging to watch God work through specific situations to push his children onto maturity!

In recent months, God has reminded me of the gospel's importance, and so I have been trying to preach Christ’s death and resurrection to myself. Yet Curt challenged us to add heaven to that sermon. Whether it’s stress over a deadline or frustration with my own fallen state, I am constantly reminded that God has granted me eternal forgiveness, and that heaven will be free from frustrations and imperfections! What a motivation to persevere!

I became even more aware of the extent of God’s mercy as I listened to Curt's prayer during one of the sessions. He thanked God for the rewards he promises to the faithful believer, and for extending that blessing towards us who can only please him by the power of his Holy Spirit. Yes, God forgave my failures, both past and present. And yes, Christ rescued me from hell. Those truths alone should draw me to my knees in total amazement. But there is more. Not only has he cleansed my heart from sin, but he promises eternal reward in heaven for my obedience. And even more unfathomable is the truth that any obedience I demonstrate only occurs because he enables me to obey. Without him, I am powerless to change my own heart.

I am still encouraged by the way Lightswitch came together during this retreat. In the past, I have experienced many situations in which believers, even those who have known each other for years, failed to invest in one another's lives. As a result, fellowship was hindered by exclusive cliques or by reclusive individuals. During this retreat, however, I experienced an atmosphere of mutual love, respect, and unity that could only exist by God's grace!

Mealtime was one of the many instances I observed this unity; I noticed that a lot of people sat with a different group at each meal. I had to laugh when April and I walked into the dining hall one day, and April suddenly ran over to a table with a less-than-equal boy-to-girl ratio, shouting, “Hey! Why are we, like, segregated?” I also saw the married couples sitting with the singles, and vice-versa. It encouraged and convicted me. It reminded me that we believers need each other and are responsible to support one another.

He Let the Bed Bugs Bite, a Conclusion

Jeremy thoroughly did not like the idea of sleeping in a cabin with bed bugs. Shortly after Jeremy had awoken, Aaron the Spindster awoke to discover that his bed was crawling with the horrible pests as well. Jeremy quickly threw his bedding out onto the cabin’s front porch and gathered up his things. After a thorough inspection of his belongings before packing them up, Jeremy left the cabin in search of another place to sleep.

Jeremy walked to the car where he had decided to spend the night. It was already close to 4 a.m. and he was by now quite tired. Although the car wasn’t very comfortable, he decided it was much better than sleeping with dozens of small insects stabbing his flesh and using his blood as a beverage. He lay awake for a long time, exhausted yet somehow not quite able to sleep. A few days later he found out that apparently Jared Etherton had been asleep in a tree nearby. Luckily he did not know this at the time or there would have been a very great temptation to do something to the poor lad. He eventually fell asleep and had a short nap before waking up when the sun rose.

Later that day, the resident entomologist, Sarah, confirmed the reportings of bed bugs and collected samples for analysis. Why anyone would want a sample of a blood-sucking creature Jeremy was not sure, but she informed him that it would have a fairly quick death. Jeremy would have preferred a long, drawn-out death because he felt that the insects deserved it for their horrendous and unjust actions against his very precious blood.

After arriving home that evening, the great purging began. The cauldrons bubbled and boiled as the hot steaming water flushed out and destroyed any bed bugs or eggs hiding in Jeremy’s belongings. He could hear their tiny screams coming from his clothes and baggage as he dunked it into the steaming water, but he cared not. They had started this war, and he was going to kill them all.

Was Jeremy successful? Did he win against the bed bugs? He certainly hopes so.

Brianna's Thoughts From Day Two

We awoke Saturday morning to the dramatic news flash: bed bugs! The boys’ cabins were infested. Displaced from their bunks, the guys had apparently retreated to random couches, cars, and…trees. Word of the invasion quickly spread to the girls' side of the camp, and the next few minutes sounded a like this: "Eewww...oh yuck!" "Now I'm worried about every itch I feel...is that a bed bug?" "Quick, search your luggage!" Oh well, I guess it added to the total “camp experience!”

Most of us slept-walked through breakfast and stumbled into the conference room for our morning session with Curt. We listened to two testimonies, one from Mike Perry and one from Shamane Gardner, that powerfully demonstrated how confidence in an eternity with God provides unfathomable peace strength to persevere through trials. I am thankful that Curt asked them to share; oftentimes, I fail to realize the full implications of a truth until I see how they play out in the lives of other people.

We then proceeded to the "confidence course," a rope obstacle course that tested our teamwork skills. We broke into two groups, and each group had to progress through five different stations. My favorite station was the ropes course where the entire team had to work their way along a rope to the finish line. At first it seemed fairly simple with us acting as tight-rope walkers holding onto a rope that tangled overhead. The difficulty gradually increased however, as handholds grew further and further apart until we could only hang desperately onto one another!

As I half-walked, half-stumbled along the rope, my arms swinging wildly in circles and grabbing for the nearest person, I realized as never before that I am not a gymnast! In the words of Curt, “People showed off moves they never knew they had!” We also had to carefully slide each other through the rope "spider web," fling each other over a wall, and balance the entire group on a giant wooden “teeter-totter.” Team bonding took on a whole new meaning, especially when it came to awkwardly squeezing twenty, sweaty people onto a 3'x3' platform (I don't think any of us thought we'd ever see Jeremy and Jacob hold each other so tightly!). It was so much fun taking on the course together and having to rely on each other to finish intact!

We had a few hours of free time after lunch, during which some of us jumped into the paddle boats and engaged in an intense game of basketball-water-polo in addition to a race across the pond. Another group struck up a spontaneous jam session, while the smart ones snored away in their cabins.

Our final group session successfully summed up the weekend’s focus on heaven. I was especially challenged by Curt’s point that my reason for honoring God must not stop at “my sins are forgiven.” I must add to that viewpoint the reality and the motivation of heaven, because knowing my ultimate endpoint will drive me to persevere through any circumstance. No matter how I interpret Revelation’s account of the “end times,” the outcome is 100% certain, an eternity with God!

After the session, we packed, ate dinner, and drove out. I don’t know about anyone else, but I went into complete zombie-mode on the way home! Despite the exhaustion, I was grateful for the time I was able to spend with Lightswitch that weekend! The retreat was a definite all-around success. For me, one of the retreat’s biggest blessings was the strong sense of unity. We spent time together, not as individuals or as cliques. We gelled as a group of brothers and sisters, worshipping God, gleaning from His Word and from each other, and just having a blast! I was reminded that we are not in this battle alone. As we seek to sift through and apply the truths of heaven to our daily lives, God has blessed us with a support system within Lightswitch. I felt for the first time as a new member of the group, that “What we do, we do together!”

He Let the Bed Bugs Bite

Quick, take a really good look at your bed. Right now. Do it. If you see something that looks like a blood-sucking, flesh-piercing, fear-inspiring, bane of my existence, temptation to anger, then you have seen what is commonly referred to as “cimex lectularius.” Maybe it’s not “commonly” referred to as that but if you asked any degree touting entomologist (or Sarah Jeanne) they would be able to tell you that what you have seen is known to most of us as a bed bug. If you’re not sure what one looks like, below is my interpretive painting of one of these creatures.As you can see, the large fangs and aggressive speech make this creature’s intent obvious. It desires to drink your blood like a small insectoid Dracula. Why do I have such a personal grudge against these small insects? Let me tell you a story.

A long, long few days ago, in a camp far, far nearby there was a happy group of campers called Lightswitch. Among them was an innocent, happy boy named Jeremy. Jeremy was thoroughly enjoying the evening and spending time with his friends, but that was all about to change.

Jeremy and his friends were up quite late that night enjoying one another’s company and doing things all together (someone should come up with a slogan catchier than that, something like “if or when we do something, we do it inclusively as long as people can make it”). When they were finally ready to go to bed, the guys went to their cabin, only to find that a lumberjack named Jacob was in the middle of an anti-tree campaign that would have prevented the sleep of anyone who stayed in the cabin.

Luckily, there was a vacant cabin next door. Jeremy and his friends decided that they would spend the night in this cabin instead. This would be a decision Jeremy would later regret, for in this cabin lived something far worse than a noise violation comparable to a jetliner taking off. Yes, in this cabin were the bed bugs, silently waiting to feast upon the unaware (and quite tired) Jeremy.

So Jeremy and his friends got ready for bed. At this point it was discovered that the cabin also had an unusually high population of nocturnas theologous (commonly referred to as nocturnal theologians). These creatures were harmless, however, (and rather intriguing) so Jeremy (as interested as he was) soon drifted off to sleep to the sounds of Bible doctrine and an African American bedtime dance.

40 minutes later…

Jeremy awoke to find the nocturnas theologous still chirping their sweet salvation songs, but something wasn’t quite right. Jeremy’s eyes quickly settled on a small bug scuttering its way across the bunk-bed wall. Jeremy quickly reverted to the girly influences of his upbringing and jumped out of bed in a way that made some think he was sleep-walking. When asked what the problem was he muttered something about bugs. At which point “He Who Knows These Things” (a.k.a. Ben Rodgers) verified that it was indeed the dreaded bed bug. This was the beginning of the infamous night of the bed bugs. To be continued in a future post.

Brianna's Thoughts from Day 1

So I had definitely looked forward to this retreat for weeks. But I must admit, being one of the newest members of Lightswitch, I was also slightly apprehensive and unsure of what to expect from the weekend! Friday afternoon, everyone gathered at the church and proceeded to tackle the first challenge of the weekend: packing up the vans. I and six other girls managed to fit all of our luggage into the Bucca-mobile. Curt and Juan called our incredibly-crammed trunk "Ridiculous." I considered it extremely impressive! The trip to our surprise destination was long, but so much fun. The roads wound through the most gorgeous countryside, and jammin’ out to Sting, Josh Groban, Dino, and Holly’s progressive 70’s rock music also helped prevent any possible boredom!

Curt chose a gorgeous site for our retreat: Summit Lake Camp. As soon as we arrived, the whole group spread out to snap pictures and explore, undeterred by the persistent rain. Everything on the grounds was photogenic: hills, forests, the mountain view...everything screamed out God’s creative power! I could not help but marvel at the world’s stubborn denial of His work in creation, when everything around us only reinforced that creativity! The girls from my cabin discovered a huge empty field and some beautiful hills behind our cabin, and proceeded to run to the top and then race back down screaming, “Charrrrrrrrrrge!” Must have been something in the air…

After dinner, we met in our own on-site “conference room” to worship. Ben led us in singing some powerful songs that pointed us to Christ and helped to prepare our hearts for God's Word. In my opinion, the absence of lyrics projected on a screen added something to this time. It may seem trivial, but singing praises to God from memory was new to me, and I felt like I was able to praise God more freely. I purely enjoyed this experience!

Curt then shared about the often-forgotten truth that heaven is the believer’s final destination, and that this truth should affect our day-to-day lives. He made the profound statement that “Sanctification not focused on destination will lead to condemnation.” We were all reminded of God’s awesome mercy in saving us, not just for this life, but for an eternity in His presence. I was grateful to Curt for focusing our attention on heaven. I know that I often shove many simple truths, such as the believer's assurance of heaven, aside, or at least push them into the background. Yet God was faithful to bring that truth to the forefront this weekend.


After the session, about forty of us engaged in an epic round of mafia. A total blood-bath ensued which lasted well past midnight, and resulted in many ten’s of victims. Who knew about Allison and Lauren’s brutal sibling rivalry, the hidden resentment toward blonds and minorities (*cough*Juan*cough*), or Ken’s secret suspicion of his wife! Unfortunately for Ken, his suspicion of innocent Laura was proven wrong, and after she was wrongly accused and killed we proved whose side we were on by killing him. Accusations flew, the room-temperature rose significantly...and I laughed hysterically! We stumbled (literally) into our cabins around 2 a.m. and managed to catch a few hours of sleep before breakfast.

By this time, most of my nervousness had disappeared, and I fell asleep excitedly anticipating the next day. To be continued in a future post.